Stories of the Dumping Ground
by Seahorse8
Summary: Everyone at the dumping ground has a new story to tell. This time, it's Carmen's story. When she sees Esme again, will she make blank her or make friends again? And what exactly does Esme want anyway?
1. What Jody Did

When Lily's sister Rosie made friends wih Jody and started spending all her time at the dumping ground, her foster parents weren't happy, so Jody decided to take drastic action. This story is set about the time of series 2 of The Dumping Ground and is mostly from Jody and Rosie's point of view, but also partly about Tee.

**Rosie Kettle**

I got fostered when I was six, and it felt like the best thing that had ever happened to me. Me and my sisters had a proper home at last! We'd been in care for about a year, and that was fine, but I never felt like I belonged. Before that, living with my dad, it was hell. He was always drunk, yelling at us, and I got so scared. Lily tried to protect us, but Poppy was only a toddler, and impossible. My dad was always trying to look after us and then making a mess of it and becoming violent. And Lily was only eight, the age Poppy is now. I can hardly remember before mum died and dad went... you know, weird. But Lily can. I suppose that's why she was never happy living with Matt and Christie. But when she left, I really missed her. She'd always looked after me in the past, but now I hardly ever got to see her. Christie just said it would "unsettle" me and Poppy. I tried telling her that it would unsettle us even more not to see our sister, but she wouldn't listen. Neither would my social worker, Rob. Well, he's about the worst social worker there ever was, and that includes the one Tracy Beaker, who worked at the dumping ground when I was there, had. Someone called "Elaine the Pain". Awful, right? But nowhere near as bad as Rob. For one thing, he always thinks he's right, and has about a thousand arguments for anyone who dares disagree with him. For another, he has not got a clue. Jody, my friend at the dumping ground, says it was all his fault for all the trouble she had with her brother last year. Gina had a hunch that things weren't right, but he would not listen. Are all social workers like this? If so, I think every care kid is doomed the moment they get one. You see, it's Rob who really stirred things up between me and Lily. Not to mention my dad. I'd like to live with my dad and big sister one day, but fat chance of that happening with him and Christie around. Nope, I'm stuck with Matt for a dad and Rosie for a sister. Lucky me. And, also thanks to them, I hardly ever get to visit Elm Tree House now. Because of what happened. Because of what Jody and I did. And I'm not saying it's not partly our fault, but we'd never have done it if it hadn't been for them. Want to know what we did? Wait and see.

**Jody Jackson**

When I think about psychos, certain people spring to mind. My social worker, who I have nicknamed Rubbish Rob till I think of something better and more offensive. My older brother Kingsley, who once locked me in my room for two days and got arrested for handling stolen goods. But I'd rather not think about that. It was horrible, scary, traumatic and all Rob's fault. And Tee's. Anyway, it's just one of the stories I used to shock Lily's sisters with. Until Harry nicked my idea and started freaking out the new girl. Till she nicked his giraffe, anyway. Serves him right. Floss is not the sort anyone messes with. And, as it turns out , neither are Lily's sisters. It's a long time before I mess with Rosie Kettle again. I think we both lived to regret it, and we're not the only ones. I'll tell you exactly what happened, from the start.

Which is probably when I first met Rosie and Poppy. I was about eight and a half when I first went into care, but I didn't meet them till quite a bit later. They always saw Lily when she was at her dad's. But when I was nine, Matt and Christie left the girls at the DG for the day, because they were busy or something. Mike got slightly cranky, like they were using this place as a free childminders or something, I mean, it was kind of weird, Lily wasn't even here. She was going to be really annoyed when she found out her sisters had visited without her knowing. But, anyway, they came, so I started telling them about Lily, and what she does when they're not around. Like that time Carmen and Elektra locked me in the toy cupboard when I first came here, which I still haven't quite forgiven Elektra for. Even though I know now that's just her way. Yeah, that's another psycho I can think of. But anyway, Lily had as much to with it as Carmen in the whole thing. Any way, Poppy and Rosie seemed a bit surprised, so I thought I'd tell them all about that time that poisonous Elektra locked Tee and Johnny in the coal bunker, that time we pretend there were careworkers around when there weren't and played home alone. Which was great, till things got a bit out of control. Well, I found it great, anyway.

"Was Lily there?" asked Poppy, so I told her how she'd told her dad she was staying here for a couple of days and come with a pack of hair dye.

"she was planning to go partying with Tee and Carmen later" I said. "And they wanted to do their hair. But me and Tyler had our own use for the dye. So I nicked it off them."

"What happened?" asked Rosie. So I told her. I was surprised how shocked they looked. I mean, it wasn't like I'd done anything criminal. So I started to think maybe they were a bit wimpy.

Then Rosie said, "Just before I left something happened. You've probably heard this before, but there's more to the story then you'd expect."

**Rosie Kettle**

I was about to tell Jody my story, to prove I wasn't a total wimp, but at that moment Mike came in, and told us it was time to go. I was kind of disappointed, but my story was pretty lame anyway. I was planning to tell her about how Tee fell out of that tree, or how Tracy was when she first came to the dumping ground. But I wanted to tell her most of all about the time Lily fell off the roof. You see, that was my fault. But I couldn't tell her, because I'd had to go home. After this, I didn't see Jody for quite a while. The next time I came to the Dumping Ground, she'd just gone to live with her mum and brothers. I was surprised how disappointed I was, but Jody had seemed really fun and exciting, and suddenly I realised how much I wanted her to like me and be my friend.

"But I she can't be gone!" I said, when Rob told me. "I wanted to tell her..."

"What?"

"Nothing." I couldn't believe how close I'd come to telling him.

"Tell me. Or your foster parents." he said, but I shook my head.

"I don't like Jody anyway," said Poppy. "She kept trying to scare us." That got Rob's attention.

"Did she? How? Are you all right?" He asked. I sighed.

"Course we are," I said. "But didn't Jody's family abandon her?"

Yeah. They did. Rob had got it wrong again. Soon Jody was back, and Lily told me and Poppy everything that had happened. Next time I saw Jody I said, "Do you remember what I wanted to tell you a few months ago?"

She didn't, but wanted to know anyway. So I told her.

**Jody Jackson**

Poor stupid Rosie. She thinks it was her fault that Lily fell off the roof that time. Rosie says that it was her who wanted Matt and Christie to hurry up fostering Lily, and that Lily felt really left out when Rosie and Poppy wanted their foster dad to read them a story, rather than Lily. She felt too old for stories, being seven, but wanted to be polite. But apparently, she preferred her dad's stories, and so did Poppy. And, it's her who begged Christie to go and get Lily when Tracy was making that massive protest. And Lily ran upstairs and fell off the roof. Rosie has felt bad ever since. What could I say to that? Only one thing _to_ say: "Rosie Kettle, you are an idiot." And I put her straight. But I couldn't stop wondering how it had been like that.

"Do you prefer living with Matt and Christie then?" I asked. Rosie thought for a long time then said, "No."

"Why not?" I was surprised. I'd wanted to be fostered for ages. Hadn't every care kid?

"Well, I used to love it when I was six or seven," Rosie said. "But now... well, it's just, they're so overprotective. For one thing, they still like me and Poppy to wear matching outfits, which is hell now I'm ten. I mean, it's not like we're twins or anything. And I never hear the end of it when people in my class see me." I laughed. I could totally see what she meant. "And also," Rosie went on, "They don't let me come here often. Apparently it would "unsettle" me and Poppy. Oh, and they act like we're one person."

I told her about living with my mum, and what she was like. It was surprising how similar our stories were. We ended up talking for hours about being in care and all that stuff. After that I met up with Rosie quite often. She turned out to be really good fun. I soon realised that Rosie was nothing like as wet as she seemed, and really different to Poppy.

"I feel like I'm losing my identity sometimes," Rosie told me much later. "Christie treats me and Poppy exactly the same, and expects us to act really well-behaved and babyish, so we just go along with it."

She certainly wasn't being well-behaved now. She had loads of good ideas for pranks, and hung out with me and Tyler a lot. For example, once she had the idea of putting orange food colouring in Elektra's bubble-bath thingy. The best thing about that was, it was impossible to see what had been done, and it just looked like Elektra had somehow managed to get a permanent bad fake tan. Seriously, it was priceless! And all Rosie's idea. Nobody except me and Tyler realised what Rosie was really like. Everyone was surprised that she was going round with us all the time, especially Lily. She couldn't get over the fact that Rosie now often came to the dumping ground on her own, when she wasn't there.

"I can't see why you to like each other so much," she said to me. "You to are totally different, except for being about the same age. Tell me on thing you have in common with my sister." What could I say to that? Tell on Rosie about what she'd done to Elektra and risk getting her into trouble and losing her as a friend? No way! So I smiled slyly and said, "We both like biscuits." And Lily went away. I was really enjoying having Rosie as a friend. She understood totally what things were like for me, and I understood her. It turned out we had loads in common, even our favourite colour (red), least favourite singer (Justin Bieber; yeuch!), and favourite animal (horses). I'd never had a proper friend before. Most of the people I really got on with were boys, rather than girls. All the girls in my year at school were obsessed with fashion, and stuff like that, and I didn't really fit in. I suppose Rosie _was_ a bit like that, in her own way, but she was still really good fun, and we got on great. Rosie started spending more and more time at the dumping ground. She came almost every day. "It's much more fun than being at home," she told me. "There's always something going on, and loads of cool people have come since I left." It wasn't just me she spent time with. I was pleased to find that the people she really liked being with were my friends. She always joined in with anything I did with Tyler and Rick, and as for Carmen and Tee, well, they were Lily's best friends. She'd known Carmen since she went into care, and liked her almost as much as Lily.

"Poppy used to call her "Aunty Carmen"," she laughed. And it was great cos she did loads more with Lily now. They'd grown apart after she went to live with Matt and Christie. But now they saw each other loads more. It would all have been great if it hadn't been for the adults. They hated Rosie spending so much time at Elm Tree House.

"She's hardly ever at home now," said Christie. "My daughter can't jut go wherever she likes, see whoever. She hasn't lived there for years. I need some control over what she does. I'm sure it's bad for her spending so much time there."

"It's obsessive, this behaviour," said Rob. " It's all right to have an arranged visit from time to time, when Lily's there, but this is ridiculous. I say we limit the visits to when Lily is there, once or twice a year, maybe. With me. But that's it."

"Once or twice a _year_?!" cried Rosie.

"Come on," said Mike. "I know Rosie spend a bit too much time here, but once or twice a year? That's a bit harsh, isn't it?"

"She's my daughter," said Christie. This was her home for less than a year. I don't want her coming here any more."

"It's for the best," said Rob. "She needs to settle down."

I could hardly hear what Rosie said next. I put my head closer to the door and could just hear her protest, "Since when aren't we allowed to have friends?"

**Rosie Kettle**

So now do you see what they did? I'm sure they thought it was for the best, but it meant losing the best friend I'd ever had. The only person who really understood me. I hardly ever saw Jody after that. I was never allowed back to the dumping ground, and when I tried to invite her round to my house, it was too formal, with social workers and everything. Matt and Christie didn't approve of Jody anyway. So that was the end of that story. Now do you see why I spent so long slagging them off earlier? So now you know.

**Jody Jackson**

Was that the end of the story? No way was it. It was time to do something, to get this sorted once and for all. It

was...

PAYBACK TIME!

**Rosie Kettle**

I haven't got a mobile phone. I know it seems weird, I mean I'm ten, and everyone else my age has one, but Christie never let me. But Jody did have one way of communicating with me: Lily. Lily would never have let us do what we were planning, so we wrote each other notes in code, and got Lily to pass them on. Jody sent me the first one: "_Cnlonpx Gvzr! Cenax Z naq P! V'ww qb E!"_

Which means "_Payback Time! Prank M and C! I'll do R!" _I could tell Lily was wondering what on earth we were talking about. So I did the food colouring fake tan thing on Christie, and when Matt was washing all his white shirts, I snuck in Poppy's gooseberry red shirt... with disastrous results! So I sent Jody a very short note: "_Qbmr. Lbh?_" meaning, _"Done. You?"_

Jody's note back said: "_Ehoorq punyx ba uvf punve vg'f pbzr bss ba uvf gebhfref!" _I laughed. So that was the end of that. Or was it? Well, what do you think? Of course it wasn't! It was nowhere near the end. We still hadn't worked out what to do about seeing each other again. I thought for hours about what we could do, and then, suddenly, I had an idea. Run away! Well, okay, maybe it was a bit stupid of me not to have thought of that before. But I did in the end, didn't I! So we did this, and went to the park to talk. About the most shocking thing either of us had seen happening at the dumping ground. So Jody told me about the time Tee knocked down Mo's scarecrow and it fell on top of him, and I told her about the time Tee fell out of a tree. Funny how both our stories involved Tee, and someone got injured. Then, suddenly, Jody grinned. "The tree! That's it!"

"Um... what are you on about?"

"One of us can climb up it!"

"No we can't, and what has that got to do with anything?"

"Well..." she said, speaking very slowly as if I was dumb or something, which personally I think is a bit harsh, I mean I don't think anyone would know what she was on about, but there you go, "Nobody can get up the tree. So we nick a load of important files or something, climb up with them and don't come down till they change their minds. Genius!"

Okay, Jody had gone mental. That was probably the worst plan anyone had ever thought of. But for some reason, I found myself saying, "Count me in." Recipe for disaster.

So I had to go along with what Jody said, which was fine, well as fine as agreeing to a completely crazy plan can be anyway, until suddenly Jody asked, "Who's going to go up the tree? You or me?" Crap. I mean, I wasn't going to climb up a tree I'd already seen Tee get stuck up and then fall out of, was I? And I couldn't ask Jody to, either. So what was I meant to say? What I wanted was to say, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all," but then Jody would have thought I was wetter than ever. So I just said, "You decide." So it's all my fault that Jody said,

"All right. I'll do it." Well, at least she didn't have any overprotective older siblings, did she. Whereas I had Lily. Still, for some reason I felt much better when she suddenly added, "But you nick the files." Ok, it was me who was going mental.

"Which files should I take?" I asked.

"Oh, just grab whatever Rob brings next time he comes to the dumping ground," Said Jody vaguely. "I'll tell you when and sneak you in. And get anything your foster parents or Mike and Gina have floating around. Doesn't matter what. Anything important-looking. While I'm up the tree and everyone's distracted trying to get me down. Then chuck them up."

"Yeah, but what if I miss? Someone else is bound to grab them and that'll be the end of your plan."

"Oh yeah. All right, you nick the files, then put them into a bag or something so I can climb up with them." "Right." I said, but it wasn't; no way. Still, I was stuck now, so I might as well do it. So, Jody told me the next time Rob was visiting. That day, I went into Matt and Christie's study, before anyone was up. I grabbed a bundle of important-looking letters and stuffed them in my school bag. Then, I snuck out of the house and got the bus to the dumping ground. It was too early for anyone to be up yet except Jody so I was able to go without anyone seeing me. Then I waited outside the door, but not for long. Jody had been watching from her window and she let me in, thrust the key of the office at me and disappeared. Nicking Mike and Gina's files was pretty easy. I just opened the office door, tiptoed in, and opened the drawer with everyone's files in it. I wandered for a moment which ones I should take. Who didn't anyone like? Elektra, I decided, grabbing hers. Who else? There wasn't anyone else really bad, so I just grabbed the files belonging to Floss and Johnny. I stuffed them in my bag, and left. Then I went up to Jody's room, where I could hide in her wardrobe and play on her phone till Rob came. When he did, I snuck downstairs and waited, hiding, for him to leave his bag unattended. He always seemed to have it with him, though. But just as I thought he'd never leave it alone, the doorbell rang several times and Christie's voice floated in.

"Oh, Rob, Mike, come quick, I can't find my Rosie anywhere! All her stuff is there, so she can't have run away. Maybe she's been kidnapped!" Oh dear. Better hurry up before she called the police or something. I emptied Rob's bag into mine, thrust it at Jody and followed her into the garden. She ran to the tree, jumped up and started climbing.

**Jody Jackson**

The tree was incredibly easy to climb. I wondered what Tee had been so worried about . She was quite sporty. Maybe cos she'd only been nine and wasn't quite as flexible as me. I got much higher as she'd been, without anyone seeing me, but then I heard Rosie's anxious voice.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she was asking.

"To late to stop now!" I started to say, then made the mistake of looking down. Rosie had gone white, and she suddenly looked very far away from me. Oh dear. I felt slightly queasy. At that moment, Christie ran up, with Poppy and Lily. I saw that they were all yelling at Rosie, but none of them had looked up. Then Poppy did. And fainted. Suddenly, everyone ran up. They were all yelling at me to get down, but I couldn't and wouldn't. Then Tee looked ran up. I'll never forget her face, or the way she yelled, "No!" . Or how she climbed up after me. Johnny tried to stop her, but it was too late.

**Tee Taylor**

I'm heavier than I was four years ago, but also more agile. I don't know why I climbed up after Jody. The last time I went up that tree was the worst experience of my life. But maybe that's why I went up after Jody. I just wanted to get her down. I was dimly aware of Johnny yelling at me, as well as anyone else, but really I was only focused on Jody. Better than on the way my heart was pounding, the way I felt sick, the way I almost couldn't do it. This was my worst nightmare, and I was going through it for the second time. Jody was yelling at me too.

"Tee, you idiot, get down, please!" But I didn't listen. I just went higher, trying to reach Jody. I don't know why, or what I could have done if I had reached her. But I just wanted to do what Johnny had done for me that time, four years ago. Suddenly, I couldn't get any higher. I wasn't as good a climber as Jody was. So I looked down. Gina had gone inside to get help. Mike and Rob were trying to get me and Jody down. I saw that Christie had her arms round Poppy and Rosie, who were sobbing. Lily was nearby, with Carmen. Floss and Elektra were throwing murderous looks at Elektra, who still had their files. But not Johnny. Johnny was just looking at me, begging me to come down. But I couldn't. I hadn't reached Jody. Then I heard someone, Rick I think, say, "Tee, quick the branch is breaking!" I tried to move, quickly. But it was too late. The branch snapped, and I fell again. Only this time, there was no beanbag to break my fall. Only hard, solid ground.

**Jody Jackson**

They ended up having to call the ambulance as well as the fire brigade. I got off the tree safely, and reluctantly handed over Rosie's bag, with all the files in it. Rosie and me were in heaps of trouble for what we did. Christie was completely livid. And pretty scary. We had to speak to Rob loads of times, explaining how sorry we were and why we did it. And everyone at the dumping ground was mad at us. At me especially. I told Tee millions of times how sorry I was, but she wasn't mad at me. Not after I got a hard time from my psycho brother because of her that time. Luckily Tee was fine except for a broken arm. But I'll tell you the two people who were most mad at me about the whole thing. I mean kids, cos obviously Christie and Rob went completely ballistic about the whole thing. But the two kids who were most mad at me were Johnny and Lily, of course. I'd got their sisters into a whole load of trouble and they wouldn't speak to me for months. And I can't blame them. Now, I see Rosie from time to time, but not that often. I'm not surprised. I can't believe I made such a stupid plan. I should have guessed that climbing the tree would end like it did last time. Only this time, it was all my fault, and last time it was Tracy Beaker's. I think I'm quite like her in a way. We both wanted a best friend and were prepared to do completely stupid things to get one. That's the end of the story anyway. So long as I watch out for Elektra and Floss, who are still waiting to get me back for stealing their files. I'd better watch out.


	2. Johnny's adventure

**Johnny Taylor**

I still can't believe everything that happened. It was the worst week of my entire life. And I should have realised something was wrong, sooner. I mean, it was my sister. But I'd been busy doing something or other all day with Bailey, I can't even remember what now, and hadn't seen her all day. I thought she was with Lily and Carmen. But nobody noticed till evening, when we were all sat down for dinner. Then, we suddenly realised Tee wasn't there.

"I'll go fetch her." said Mike, not thinking anything of it. A few moments later I heard him call her. Then, he came in and said, "Does anyone know where Tee is? I can't find her anywhere."

"What?" I asked, slightly worried now. "Are you sure?"

"Well, has anyone seen her?"

"Not since this morning," said Carmen. Everyone else shook their heads. Suddenly, I realised something was very wrong. I ran into the landing, and called again.

"Quit playing about Tee – come down!" Then I realised – her coat was gone. I rummaged about in a panic, trying to find it, but it was definitely gone. So, starting to panic, I tried to call her on my phone, but hers was switched off.

I ran back into the kitchen and told everyone, but they thought I was over-reacting.

"I'm sure she'll turn up." Said Mike. "Don't worry, Johnny. Still," he added, "She shouldn't have gone out without permission. Does anyone know where she might be?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Are you sure? You'd better not be lying to cover up. Carmen?"

"No." She was such a terrible liar that it was obvious she was telling the truth.

"If we knew where Tee was, we'd be lying and saying she was somewhere else, wouldn't we?" Jody added, not particularly helpfully.

"she's got a point," agreed Faith.

"Look, let's eat, then see if she hasn't turned up." Mike suggested.

"No way!" I argued. "She's probably already been gone for hours, and no one even noticed!" I couldn't believe Mike was being so casual.

"I want my Teeeeeeeeee!" whined Mo.

"Shouldn't we be calling the police?" asked Floss.

"You'd better do something!" I agreed. They couldn't just let it lie! My sister had been gone for hours and I hadn't even noticed. And I was supposed to be the older sibling.

"Shut up and eat!" ordered Gina. "Tee will be fine. I can tell you for certain she has not been kidnapped or killed and probably hasn't run away-"

That did it. I ran upstairs to Tee's bedroom, looking for any sign of where she might be. But there was nothing. Except – Mr Hamster's cage. Tee had got him when Toby left. And the food bowl was empty. Tee _always_ fed him, just before lunch. So she obviously had been gone all day. Where on earth could she be?

The rest of the evening was a nightmare. Mike still made me sit down for dinner but of course I couldn't eat anything. And by ten o'clock that night, Tee hadn't turned up, so Mike called the police. Nobody slept a wink that night. We were all busy worrying, and answering questions from the police. But of course no one knew anything. Carmen texted Lily and she came right over, though it was late. And the police couldn't trace her phone. She obviously hadn't run away as none of her stuff was gone. So something bad must have happened.

I couldn't stop imagining what might have happened. I couldn't think of anything else, and kept on at the police to try harder. They had no idea where Tee would be. And when it all came down to it, they didn't care all that much. She was just another missing person.

I was in pieces by the morning, and incredibly tired, not having got any sleep. And she still hadn't turned up. But Mike had other things on his mind.

"Don't worry, Johnny," he said. "We'll tell you if we hear from her while you're at school."

"I'm not going," I muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Are you deaf? I'm not going! Not till Tee's found. You can't expect me to! My sister could be dead," I stormed, "And all you care about is me going to school! Well, I'm staying here to help."

"Let him," said May-Li. "He didn't get any sleep anyway."

No wonder I didn't. I knew the police would never be able to find Tee. It was up me now.

First I went round asking everyone when they'd last seen her. It was Carmen who had the answer.

"I didn't see her long," she said. "We'd been chatting, and I asked if she'd got her phone back. She'd lost it a few days ago. But she got really snappy with me, and ran out. Maybe that's when she left."

"So she didn't have her phone? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Oh, she had it. She waved it at me before she stormed off. It's kind of weird."

So her phone definitely had something to do with it. Confused, I went into the living room to think. I wished Gus was here, to take notes. He'd definitely have some good information.

Suddenly, Tyler came in, looking shifty.

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell?" he asked.

"What? Do you know where Tee is?"

"Well..." he started to say, but then Rick ran in.

"No he doesn't," he said firmly, looking the angriest I'd ever seen him. "Tyler, if you say anything..."

"I wasn't going to!"

"You were!"

"If you know where Tee is, you'd better tell me..."

"No way!"

* * *

**Tyler**

Johnny pushed Rick, who punched him back. Suddenly they were both fighting and yelling. Getting really mad. I knew none of them would give in, and I watched silently. It was all my fault. Why had Rick told me anyway? I didn't know what to do, whose side I was on. I couldn't do nothing now I knew where Tee was, how much danger she was in. But if I told, it would be the end of everything for Rick! How had I got into this horrid situation? Everything was my fault, whatever I did would be wrong. I couldn't decide. That had probably been Rick's problem too, why he told me. But I knew he'd never forgive me if I told Johnny. And no wonder. But I'd never see Tee again if I didn't.

Mike came in and pulled the boys apart, but they were still lunging at each other, both almost in tears. And no wonder. I knew how important what family they had was to people here. And one of them was about to lose theirs.

All that was left was for me to decide who.

* * *

**Johnny**

Mike had a stern word with both me and Rick, but I didn't even listen. I was still yelling. I was determind to get to the bottom of what happened to Tee, no matter what it took.

I went upstairs and wrote everything I knew in one of Gus's old notebooks. Which wasn't much. A mobile phone, Rick and Tyler. But it was enough. Any idiot could guess how these were linked.

Rick and Tyler had Tee's phone. Tee's phone was hidden in their room.

All I had to do was find it, and I'd have the answer.

I had to wait till the next day to search the room, which was torture, Tee being in trouble somewhere for another night, but their was nothing I could do. If Rick found out what I was up to that would be the end of my plan. And perhaps, though I couldn't bear to think about it, the end of Tee.

So I waited till the next day. Everyone else was at school, but again, I refused to go. It was harder persuading Mike and May-Li this time.

"It's an important year for you, you've got exams next term," Mike said. "You can't afford to take days off, I mean what if Tee never gets found?"

"Mike," May-Li hissed, "You're not helping. Not helping at all. Just give him the day off, before you say anything more stupid."

"Um, ok, sorry," Mike muttered, embarrassed.

I stayed in my room till they were busy upstairs, then went into Rick and Tyler's room, and got to work.

* * *

**Tyler**

We were learning about good and bad choices that day. Of course, they meant completely different things from what I was going to. Still, it was too much for me. I felt sick.

"Are you all right?" asked my friends, noticing.

"no, I don't feel well. I need to go home." I muttered. Because somehow, I'd suddenly got the feeling that something was wrong.

* * *

**Johnny**

I didn't care if they saw what I'd been doing when they came home from school. I had for hours, and in that time I was going to find that phone. I started flinging everything, books, records, anything a phone could be hidden behind, on the floor. I knew I was making a mess, but I didn't care. There was only one thing I cared about in that room. And I was gong to find it.

For half an hour I searched, with no luck. I chucked stuff around, noticing nothing, until I heard a gasp.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I think you'd better tell me everything," I said to Tyler.

* * *

**Tyler**

I took the phone out from where it was hidden, and sat down. I knew what I had to do now.

"When Tee was in town last week," he said, "There was someone watching her. Someone who recognised her, and followed her home. But she didn't notice, till she realised her phone was missing. She found it in some lost property, but by that time, they had her number."

I paused. Johnny was staring at me, horrified and confused. I went on, knowing there was no going back now.

"She started getting messages." I carried on. "Each one had a different like beating up people here, stealing her stuff. If she didn't do what he wanted."

"He?"

"Then she got one that changed anything. He knew who Rick was. Had been scammed by his parents. There was another threat, to get them in prison for a whole lot longer. Then Tee knew Rick wouldn't tell anyone. So she told him. She had to talk to someone, but be sure they wouldn't tell."

"What are you on about? And did this?"

"Rick told me, because by that time, Tee had gone. He didn't know how long she'd be gone, or why he wanted her."

"TELL ME WHO **HE** IS!"

I swallowed. "Your mum's boyfriend. Ex boyfriend. She dumped him, and he wants to use Tee to get her back."

* * *

**Johnny**

"What?" I gasped. "Are you serious?"

Tyler nodded. "I... I think he's kidnapped her."

"Show me those messages," I said, weakly. I felt sick just thinking about it. Why hadn't I done something sooner? This meant that Tee was in real danger. "Does it say where he lives?" I hoped it did, that was the only way I'd ever find Tee. I didn't know what I'd do otherwise.

"Yes," said Tyler. "It says where to meet him, and that he'll get Rick's parents arrested otherwise."

"So we can't tell Mike. Tell me where he lives."

I went downstairs, and started pulling on my shoes again.

"What?" said Tyler, following me. "Are you sure? It could be dangerous. Shouldn't you tell the police?"

"No way! You know what they're like! They won't do anything till they're sure!"

I ran out, leaving Tyler standing there gaping. I ran to the bus station, and jumped on the bus. I had so many horrible memories from before I went into care, and now it was all coming back to life. But I didn't even have time to feel frightened at the thought of going back. All I could think of was Tee. And the fact that the bus was going much, much too slow. If you've been on a bus when you're in a hurry, you'll know what it's like, and for me, it was a thousand times worse. But eventually I jumped off, and ran to the address. I hammered on the door,and it opened. And suddenly, I felt fear for the first time. At the all to familiar figure, barring my way. But I ignored it.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. Tee. What have you done with her?"

"Get out of my house before I call the police-"

I pushed past him, and ran into the house. "Tee!" I yelled. "Tee, where are you?"

He grabbed me from behind, and tried to force me out of the house, but I ran back in, a calling Tee's name, searching through the house. He tried to grab me again, but I was stronger than I had been all those years ago, and no longer scared. I ran up and down the stairs, hammered on all the doors. Then I remembered. Whenever I'd been naughty, I'd always been locked in the back room as punishment. I ran over, but it was locked.

But you can learn a lot from living with Elektra. I kicked at the door with all my force, copying how she did it. The door opened.

"Johnny!" yelled Tee. She looked terrible, and had obviously been crying her eyes out.

And then she suddenly squealed, "Be careful, he's got a knife!"

I turned round, and there he was, waving it in the air, about to strike. I screamed, but Tee went into action.

"Get away from us!" she yelled, and started fighting him. Punching and kicking, and doing pretty well. Then he slashed her in the arm. She fell to the floor, staggering in pain.

"Tee!" I looked from her, sobbing on the floor, to my ex stepdad, if that's what you could call him, and started shoving him.

"How could you do this?" I shouted. "I'll make you pay, you see if I don't!"

I could hear police sirens in the background, as he shoved his knife in my face. Blood poured out, mingled with my tears, as I carried on trying to fight. But all I could feel was the stinging pain on my face.

* * *

**Tyler**

Both Tee and Johnny were in pretty bad way when the police found them. Their mum's ex was arrested, and they were taken to hospital for stitches. Nobody could believe what had happened, and everyone was horrified. But relieved that they were safe.

Except Rick. He was livid with me, and no wonder. Tee 's stepdad told the police about all the times his parents had scammed him, and it looked like they were going to be in prison for a whole lot longer. And it was all my fault.

I tried to get him to forgive me, but of course he wasn't having any of it. He got more and more depressed, and wouldn't speak to anyone. Till Johnny had a word with him.

"If Tyler hadn't told, Tee would be dead now." he stormed at Rick. "My mum wasn't budging and her boyfriend was all set to teach her a lesson she'd never forget. Do you really care more about being here for just a few months longer than Tee maybe being _killed_?"

Somehow, Rick came round eventually, though he was still upset. He'd been looking forward to going to live with his parents again for months. And Tee and Johnny were both pretty shell-shocked, of course. But everyone really admired what Johnny had done, and what Tee had been through.

I still feel terrible now, though, thinking what might have happened to her if I hadn't come home from school early that day...

* * *

**Sorry this story is so over-dramatic, I wanted something exciting and completely different from What Jody Did. And I know the ending was a bit weird, but I wanted a reason for Rick to stay at the dumping ground a bit longer, and I wanted to get this story over to make way for a new, more realistic story in the next chapter. I'll be writing about Carmen, and what happens when she meets Esme again. And don't worry, not every story will be about horrible things happening to Tee (just the first 2, cos that's how it turned out somehow)!**


	3. Carmen and Esme

**Carmen Howle**

I've been friends with Lily for years, and we've been through loads together. But the biggest thing that ever happened between us was probably the time I met Esme. She was this really cool, exotic person, and I was so desperate to be friends with her. Till she let me down. I've had enough of that from my mum, so I stopped being friends with her and haven't seen her since. Now it's a year since then and loads has happened. And Lily's been with me all that time. That's what friends are for.

We're going shopping together, just like we did the time I met Esme, only everything's changed. For one thing, I've stopped wearing pink all the time. Well ok, maybe I still do wear pink a lot, but I wear other colours too! Like purple and red. I guess it's hard to change my style, but I'm trying. I just think it's a bit weird wearing pink all the time. I mean, I'm fourteen now.

I'm telling Lily all this and she's just laughing at me, like I knew she would. That's why I told her. And we're about to go into a shop when suddenly she freezes.

"What?" I ask. I look around. Esme is coming towards us. Great. We weren't exactly friendly last time we met. But I can't just ignore her.

"Um, hi," I say.

"Hi!" Esme smiles. "I haven't seen you for ages!"

"Um, no."

"I can't believe this! It's just like the first time we met, last year!"

"Yeah. I noticed." Wow, this is awkward. And Lily is looking daggers at me.

"Hey, are you free today? Can I come to the care home?"

"Well, actually..." I try to think of an excuse.

"Great! Come on!" she grins. I sigh. Lily sighs.

"I'm sure she wasn't this pushy last year," I say. Lily shrugs.

"At least Johnny will be pleased."

We go after Esme. "You're going the wrong way." I tell her. "We're not at Elm Tree House any more."

"Really? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Um, maybe because we haven't spoken for a year."

This is really a cue for Esme to apologise for what happened last year. Then me and Lily would talk things over, and perhaps make up with her. But of course, Esme doesn't realise this.

"I can't wait to see everyone again!" she says instead.

"What, after everyone called you a snob?" Lily asks. We're being kind of rude, I know, but Esme's just invited herself round to the dumping ground, and is acting as if nothing ever happened between us. At least Elektra's left now, so she can't make sarcastic comments.

When we get to the dumping ground, Esme doesn't look that impressed. But she follows us in, and starts looking around. I don't really want to take Esme into the living room. Everyone still teases me about last year. But I haven't got much choice. She just marches straight in. I'm pretty surprised, actually. She definitely wasn't like this last year. But I suppose she's changed, too. For the worse.

I'm wondering if something's happened with her, and if I should be friendly or not, when everyone turns round and sees her.

"Hey, guys, look who's here" Lily mutters. I look round at everyone's reactions. Most people, like Faith, Rick and Tee, are trying not to laugh. Johnny breaks into a smile and goes red. I can see he's about to step towards her and start trying to be "friendly", so I quickly take her to see my room. As I leave, I hear Lily, Faith and Tee start laughing for real.

"Poor Carmen!" someone splutters. I hurriedly go upstairs, hoping Esme hasn't heard.

"So..." she says when we get upstairs, "I wonder if you'd like to go to Rio with me. It is lovely, you know."

"No, no, definitely not." I say quickly. How the hell am I going to get rid of her?

"Are you sure?" she asks. "You really wanted to come last year."

"Well, yeah. But... that was last year. I've changed. And so, apparently, have you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I say, "The old Esme wouldn't have just invited herself over. You were a lot less annoying."

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I'm fed up with being polite. Esme is really starting to get on my nerves. And I'll never hear the end of this from the others.

"You know I thought I was wrong about you being a snob?" I continue. "Well, I've changed my mind. You have no idea how you made me feel last year. And now you just waltz in here, acting like nothing has happened? I guess your lovely parents always forgive you, and you expect me to do the same. Well, you're just a spoilt cow, and no way am I ever doing anything with you again."

Esme looks shocked at my outburst, and so am I. But I'm really glad I said what's on my mind. Esme pauses, looking crestfallen. Then she runs out.

And that's the last I see of her for a while.

Later, I find out that everyone else was listening in, which is kind of annoying. But most of them think I did the right thing. Still, thinking about it, I start to wish I'd been nicer. And suddenly, I remember the things she told me. About her dad who doesn't want her and her mum who's never home. And I start to wonder if there's a reason why she was so pushy. Maybe she just needed to feel wanted. Well, I certainly didn't make her feel welcome.

Lily goes back home, and I head up to my room. Suddenly, there's a knock at my door. It's Tee.

She comes in, giggling.

"I just wanted you to know that Esme's texted my brother. Apparently, she's being really friendly. And he's actually found something to say that makes sense. So we're not completely rid of her yet."

This is getting weird. She must be pretty desperate.

"Maybe you should give her another chance," she continues. "I mean, if she's even willing to talk to my brother... and she wasn't that bad, was she?"

"Well..." I think about it. "She did pretend I was some smart rich girl from her school. And I ran away for her, but she just let me down."

"Maybe she just wanted to be your friend. You don't know what her mum's like, that was probably the only way she'd let Esme be friends with someone like you. And wasn't it her dad's fault that she couldn't go to Rio?"

Tee has a point. Just cos Esme is rich, doesn't mean she has a perfect life.

"Okay," I say. "I'll go see her tomorrow. Do you think I should bring Lily?"

"No, that might make things awkward. Esme would probably prefer it if it was just you."

So that's how I find myself going back to Esme's ginormous house. I'm not sure what she'll be like, or why I'm even doing this, but here I am. I walk back up the path, and ring the doorbell. It's Esme who answers the door, and she looks pretty surprised to see me. But she tells me to come in.

"Is your mum in?" I ask. Esme shakes her head.

"She's out at work. As usual. Or - look, Carmen, can you just listen to me? I'm really sorry about last year, and about being so pushy, but I just need someone to talk to. I'm really glad you came."

"Um, that's good. Shall we go to your room or somewhere talk?" I ask, wondering what exactly is wrong with Esme. I guess I have to make up with her now, though to be honest I'm not really sure I like her all that much. But I suppose she needs a friend.

We head into the kitchen and sit down. I can tell that Esme really is upset about something.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong?" I ask.

"It's - it's my mum," says Esme. "She's got this new boyfriend, and he's just horrible. And now she really doesn't want me around. She's tried to pack me off to live with my dad, but he doesn't want me either. So... it looks like I'll be going to boarding school."

"What?" I'm amazed. Boarding schools are something you read about in old children's books, where all the rich kids get sent to. I'm surprised they even still exist. But obviously they doesn't look too good for Esme.

"Hey, maybe you should go into care like me," I try to joke. But Esme sighs.

"Yeah, well, I might as well be. I mean, when you think about it, boarding school is really just a dumping ground for posh people. I mean, nobody wants me."

She has a point. We're sort of similar, in a way. Then, Esme suddenly smiles.

"Hey, I've had an idea! Why don't I ask Mike if I can live with you! We could share a room, and when Lily's there, I could share with Tee. Johnny would be happy!"

Oh dear, how am I going to get out of this? Esme, twenty-four hours a day. That sounds like a nightmare. None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for Tee. Just wait till I get home. Then, I have an idea.

"My room's a bit small," I say sweetly. "And you want somewhere more permanent. How about sharing with Tee full time?"

Hah! See how she likes Esme once she gets to know her. Tee is always really sweet and friendly, but sometimes she gets on my nerves. But Mike will never agree anyway, and neither will Esme's mum. She wouldn't want her daughter mixing with our lot. Relieved, I tell Esme this, and she sighs, but has to agree.

"I don't know what to do though, Carmen," she wails. "My life is totally falling apart! But you'll help me, won't you?"

"Of course," I find myself saying. I have no idea why I agree, and I regret it even as I say it.

What have I got myself into now?

* * *

**I'll be writing more of this soon, and in the mean time, I want to write another fanfiction story. I've recently discovered Grange Hill on youtube, and I think it's a great show, but it ended years ago, so I'm not sure. I might write a story for The Sparticle Mystery instead. Feel free to review and tell me which one I should do.**


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